In the same year, Amazon filed for a patent for a system that helps autonomous cars navigate roadways, especially complex, reversible lanes, and even pick which lane to use depending on current traffic estimates - an early indicator of the company’s ambitions in this space and AVs’ importance to Amazon when it comes to lowering delivery costs.
#DRIVING CARS IN AUTOMATION GAME TRIAL#
In 2015, Amazon explored a trial with DHL and Audi that involved delivering customers’ parcels to the trunks of their automobiles. But the Covid-19 pandemic forced Japanese organizers to postpone these sports events until July 2021. The plan was to debut up to 20 of its e-Palette vehicles at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games in Tokyo to transport athletes. The demo vehicle, known as the e-Palette, was designed as a multi-function, autonomous minivan to move goods, people, or even a mobile office. The company initially announced that it would be getting involved in autonomous vehicles at CES 2018 through a partnership with Toyota.
The vehicle is currently in testing.įor Amazon, these developments are years in the making.
In December 2020, Zoox unveiled its fully autonomous, electric robotaxi, which can seat 4 passengers and reach speeds of up to 75 mph. Backed by Amazon, Zoox is now better equipped to take on its primary rival, Waymo, an Alphabet subsidiary. This $1.2B deal provides the e-commerce giant with access to software, AI, and a full-stack self-driving solution. Amazon’s delivery robots will now serve select customers in Franklin, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia.Īdditionally, in June 2020, Amazon announced plans to acquire Zoox, a startup developing autonomous driving tech geared toward ride-hailing customers. In July 2020, the project expanded its geographical coverage. These robots are currently making deliveries in a Washington neighborhood and in Southern California’s Irvine area during daylight hours, Monday through Friday, under the supervision of a human associate. In January 2019, the company introduced the Amazon Scout, a 6-wheeled electric-powered delivery robot. The Rivian and Aurora investments aren’t the only autonomous technology play that Amazon is pursuing. “Autonomous technology has the potential to help make the jobs of our employees and partners safer and more productive, whether it’s in a fulfillment center or on the road, and we’re excited about the possibilities.” Amazon revealed a prototype of these delivery vehicles in January 2020.Īmazon’s investment in Rivian came on the heels of its deal in February 2019 with Aurora Innovation, an autonomous tech startup run by former Google and Tesla executives that pioneered autonomous driving teams at both giants.Īn Amazon company spokesperson told Wired about the investment: The US technology giant plans to buy these vehicles from Rivian, an electric automaker in which Amazon has invested $440M. In September 2019, Amazon said that it planned to put 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road by 2030, with deliveries starting as soon as 2021. More recently, an increasing percentage of that investment has been directed toward autonomous vehicle technology. It’s built its own fleet of cargo jets, explored delivery by drone in the form of “Prime Air,” and more. Over the last decade, Amazon has spent billions of dollars working on finding ever-better solutions to the last-mile problem in delivery. Working on a multi-function autonomous vehicle with Toyota.Autonomous delivery robot Amazon Scout currently making the rounds in several US cities.Invested in autonomous tech startup operated by Google and Tesla veterans.Filed patent in 2015 for autonomous lane-switching technology.It was updated and expanded on, ,, 3/4/20, and 12/16/20.Īmazon experiments with autonomous package delivery This brief was originally published on and featured 25 select corporations. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of corporations working on autonomous vehicle technology. Given the complex web of relationships between these players, other collaborations are also noted in each profile. Some companies are grouped together by key partnerships or alliances. Companies working on industrial fully autonomous vehicles were not included in this analysis.Ī few of the companies or brands listed below belong to the same parent organization but are detailed separately if they are operating distinct autonomous development programs. This list is organized alphabetically and focuses on larger corporate players in the space (as opposed to earlier-stage startups). They are a diverse group of players, ranging from automotive industry stalwarts to leading technology brands and telecommunications companies. Using CB Insights’ investment, acquisition, and partnership data, we identified over 40 companies developing road-going self-driving vehicles.
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